100 Days in Office

by Stanley Charles

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, October 24 - The NDC has had its 100 days in office. A week in politics is a long time but in Grenada’s politics its not just coach in class but its pace is and has always been coached.

Grenada’s political history is defined by two ‘momentous’ periods. The politics of the 50s self rule – leading to independence by Eric Gairy, trade unionist/quasi preacher/nationalist politician. His labor party is largely ‘responsible’ for the birth of Grenada post British Empire rule.

The other dramatically brought to Grenada a new kind of politics. A coup – the first of its kind in the English speaking Caribbean – led by Maurice Bishop his People’s Revolutionary Government introducing a form of socialism to the spice island.

In 1983 the PRG bloodedly ‘implodded’ setting the stage for a US invasion – some Grenadians call it a rescue mission – the US President at the time Ronald Regan known as the great communicator said ‘we got there just in time’.

Saturday 25th October is a national ‘thanksgiving day’ a quarter of a century later Grenadians are unable to face up to the traumatic events of 1983. Grenadians are to a large extent shell shock. Some have argued that the spice islanders are culturally not disposed to appreciate what is of ‘them’. Each year the nation tears itself apart over the need to recognized all the falling soldiers – happy are the officials and others to publicly praised the fallen US soldiers for rescuing Grenadians but to their own soldiers silence – denial is the order of the day.

Grenada returned to elected government in 1984. Prime Ministers Blaize, Jones Braithwaite, Brizan and Dr. Mitchell – all centrist, Mitchell however pursued a kind of free market politics, unashamedly ‘right wing’ dangerously flirting with risky economic models. A ‘stealth’ culture governing maters of state. An, ‘insidious’ march on the island’s fragile, even embryonic democratic institutions – a not so subtle attack on ‘free speech’ The law of sedition – seditious libel deployed. Parliament reduced to a coliseum for contemptuous mocking of other parliamentarians not belonging to the gallery of alleged rouges.

Ironically the present Prime Minister Mr. Tillman Thomas was jailed without trail by the PRG. He now heads an NDC government made up largely of people who learnt their politics from the PRG School of failed socialism. Political detractors view Mr. Thomas as a stop gap prime minister. Grenadians are given to celebrate a leader who is almost a political pre Madonna – what some call the hero and the crowd syndrome. Prime Minister Thomas is not cut from the usual political cloth. He gives his ministers room to grow into their ministries.

He has hands off approach to the civil service, he pledges his commitment to uphold the independence of the state institutions – he is on public record committing himself to a free press. Mr. Thomas is not the usual suspect but he cant avoid facing up to questions about his leadership style however no one doubts as the people say, he is a good man and enjoys the ‘confidence’ of the nation.

The NDC was elected to office almost exclusively by the effort of the Grenadian media – untrained but doggedly tenacious. In my view Mr. Thomas government owes a debt of gratitude to the Grenadian media and should not be hesitant about sourcing training for media people – it is the least a grateful government can do. It is strange however that the NDC appears to be ‘adrift’ when it comes to media affairs. It would be unkind to say the NDC’s public relations effort has been ‘dismal’ but clearly the handling of GIS and issues relating to the management of government information has greatly ‘underperformed’.

It is almost hilarious but menacingly strange how the present NDC is similar in its attitude towards its supporters in comparison with its fore runner. It is becoming increasingly audible that NDC supporters feel left behind. It is perhaps unkind for me to say but the NDC has never been noted for its politics, it is rather strange that both past and present NDC, on the face of it, are devoid of politics, despite holding political office.

The NDc’s penchant for abandoning its core is well documented. It is rumored that the very popular minister of foreign affairs Mr. Peter David – he enjoys an almost cult-like status, has been seduced by Dr. Mitchell to offer protection from attempts to bring him to ‘account’. If these rumors are founded and one hopes they are baseless, Mr. David will be well advised to read the ‘prints’. Politics should not be confused with the old boys club.

The NDC inherited a Grenada which experienced economic melt down long before it became the buzz word for what’s wrong with the world’s economy. Clearly the NDC was not prepared for the ‘calamitous’ state of affairs it found on entering office – short of sacking almost every civil servant. It was task with having to rebuild a civil service ravaged by years of inadequacies – no previous experience of being in government – competing priorities everywhere – clearly it’s easy to fail the NDC government but as tentative as they have started, a hundred days in Grenada’s politics is equivalent to half a day in normal political life. Nevertheless, I give a ‘grudging’ distinction.